Australasian Philosothon

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Australasian Philosothon

During the Term 3 school holidays, eight students represented Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School at the Australasian Philosothon held at St Andrews Cathedral School in central Sydney.

Prior to the event the students toured the Darling Harbour and Circular Quay and visited the Art Gallery of NSW to vote in the People’s Choice Award for the Archibald Portrait Prize.

During the Philosothon, students from 12 schools from Wesrtern Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria took part in five communities of inquiry on democracy, immigration, evolution, and values in scientific inquiry.

The fifth topic was unseen and followed a thought provoking session called “What’s so bad about death?”

The judges were all leading philosophers from across the country, several of whom addressed the students.

One of the most enjoyable talks was on, “Are soldiers guilty if they fight in an unjust war?”

At the final presentations, Caitlin Shaw (Year 11) was awarded second place in her age group and overall BCGS placed a credible 7th.

Our students conducted themselves with maturity, showing a readiness to interact with students from other schools and an eagerness to engage with big philosophical questions important for the “post-truth” era.

Our own South West Regional Philosothon including a number of local schools will be held here at BCGS in Week 2, Term 4. Best of luck to all of the students taking part in the next philosophical endeavour!